With Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant as the biggest stars, the Los Angeles Lakers were the top NBA team of the 00s, and went to the NBA final six of ten years, three of which ended with victory.

But the 2010s fared considerably worse. They won in 2010, but after that they never made it past the quarterfinals. And the fact is that they have missed playoffs six years in a row. Not since 2013 have they continued to play after the basic series.

But this year, they will. On Saturday morning, the league leaders in the Milwaukee Bucks defeated 113-103, the Los Angeles Lakers will be on hand when the NBA playoffs begin next month.

"We kept our focus and set our shots," LeBron James told ESPN.

Big match winner for the Lakers was, as so many times before, LeBron James. He accounted for 37 points, made eight rebounds and had seven assists. And by the time he scored his 30th point, most people understood that the Lakers would win. James has scored at least 30 points in 20 games this season. All of these games have ended with a victory for the Los Angeles Lakers, who top the Western Conference.

ARCHIVE: Kobe Bryant's last title with the Lakers:

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